On Monday, November12th, 2012 shortly after lunch, 911 dispatchers received a call that a man and a woman were arguing in a van behind the American Legion in Salem.

The caller advised that two shots had been fired from the van and that one of the windows had been shot. Major Scott Ratts and Sgt. Eric Mills initially responded saw a van parked with two bullet holes in the front windshield. A witness who was standing near the van said that he was approaching his parked vehicle near the van when the shots came from the van. Witnesses at a nearby business said they saw a woman holding up some sort of note to the passenger window just prior to the shots being fired. The initial responding officers were then joined by two off-duty officers, Assistant Chief Reggie Terrell and Sgt. Tim Miller. Sheriff Claude Combs soon arrived with Chief Deputy Roger Newlon and Deputy Scott Schocke.

A team that consisted of Combs, Ratts, Mills, Miller, and Terrell approached the vehicle and found a female identified as Kathy Taxes of Salem lying on the floorboard of the vehicle. She kept repeating that she needed help and officers found the doors locked and the windows rolled up. Unsure of exactly what her injuries were, Sgt. Mills broke out the passenger window and opened the door. Officers quickly found a 12 gauge shotgun in the vehicle and unloaded it. Taxes was taken from the vehicle and it was found that she had no apparent wounds. She then told officers that she wanted attention and she had fired the shots herself in order to get medical attention.

Taxes told the officers that she was alone and that nobody was with her as it had been reported to 911. Officers then removed two dogs from her vehicle that were extremely scared. The animals were taken to the Salem Animal Shelter where they will be housed until Taxes comes to get them. Washington County EMS responded and Taxes was transported to St. Vincent hospital. The case is currently under investigation.